Tigger: Memoirs of a Cosmopolitan Cat

by Susanne Haywood

We are all familiar with human responses to change, but what about the animal’s perspective? Globetrotting Tigger, the ginger tomcat with attitude, is born into the sunshine and easy lifestyle of Western Australia, but is forced to follow his family of restless humans to the USA for an adventurous two years in the forests and fields of Maryland. He returns to Australia and life on a small farm in the bush with all its associated excitements and perils before he is whisked off yet again to a damp, green country called England. What matters to Tigger when he leaves home? And how does he cope with the unfamiliar? Tigger’s story is told through the sharply observant eyes of a cat in charge of his band of endearingly naive humans, whose ideas he often finds puzzling, but accepts with good grace. In the background of the story, Tigger’s humans face their own struggles as they learn to adjust to their new surroundings, but they really aren't that important. Tigger's experience is what really counts. Tigger:?Memoirs of a Cosmopolitan?Cat is a tale for all who like animals and respect them for who they are, embracing their individualities, but also for those who recognise the benefits of a happy, harmonious family life for the wellbeing of all creatures.

The Book Ferret, Arundel on Saturday, 15th November between 10:30 and 12:00 (the excellent monthly Farmer's Market is on at the same time!), and at

The Petworth Bookshop on Saturday, 6th December between 11:30 and 1:30 (stay around for the Petworth Christmas Fair and lighting of the Tree in the Square!).

We will also participate in a local authors evening at Waterstones, Chichester on Wednesday, 3rd December.

A further book signing event is scheduled for Saturday, 25th April at the Worthing & District Cats Protection, 10 - 12.

Other news:

28th January: official book launch, celebrated with a virtual pawty for cats and (well-behaved) dogs on Twitter and Facebook, attended by over 100 energetic felines and canines
The Scratching Post, magazine of Worthing & District Cats Protection, reviews and recommends Tigger's story in its Spring 2015 issue
The March issue of Your Cat Magazine reviews Tigger's Memoirs

Watch out for articles on Tigger's Memoirs in Sussex Life Magazine and Cat World in December/January!

We will be signing books at the Worthing Cats Protection Christmas Fayre on Saturday, 21st November from 10 - 12 (Woodland Centre, Rustington)

I love the way Susanne represents the animal character as completely different to the human one. Throughout the book it's clear that Tigger has a very different view to the world from us humans, interpreting his discoveries about the world in ways that he can understand. There are some great comedy scenes when Tigger just doesn't understand why his family aren't more appreciative when he brings dead mice into the house! Tigger is also a great commentator for a young family growing up and learning how to live in strange new places.

by Julian

For someone who doesn't like cats very much, I found this a really pleasant surprise. There are a lot of funny parts in the book that give a different perspective on life when hearing about it from a cat's point of view. I had a hard time putting the book down as it draws you in and makes you want to know what happens next to the family and how Tigger will save them from their latest adventure. It was a lot of fun piecing together the story and understanding about the dreaded tree runners and the big yellow monster when you hear about things from Tigger's perspective. A highly entertaining read and good for both the young and old as well as non animal and animal lovers alike. Definitely worth picking it up, and you aren't likely to put it down again.

by John Choptiany

There is great affection in the tone that the author uses for Tigger, as well as many astonishingly deep insights into the mind of a cat. I found myself having a good giggle in parts, giving a few sighs and felt my heart wrench during Tigger's first flight. It is a book that would appeal as much to children as adults - anyone who has ever owned a cat, moved abroad or enjoyed the smaller pleasures in life: good food, good company and a place to call home.

by Louise

A heartwarming tale of a cat and his family. Great read for all cat owners who have tried to lovingly purchase cat beds only to have them ignored, who have had to battle with getting their cat to the vet, who get regular 'presents' brought into the house, or just might think their cats are cleverer than us! Written by someone whose cat is clearly a central member of the family.

by Emily

I loved reading this book. 'Tigger: Memoirs of a Cosmopolitan Cat' by Susanne Haywood is the recollections of a cat who has taken the art of moving house to extremes; Australia, America, then back to Australia before finally settling in England. Small wonder then, that Tigger has a lot of anecdotes with which to entertain the reader!

In this true story, after a somewhat shaky start in life, Tigger goes to live with his human family at an early age. They're a restless bunch but he goes along with their habit of moving house on a regular basis, where they go so does Tigger and it's very clear that he is not just a pet but a valued family member.

The author does a wonderful job of writing from the cat's point of view. So much so that I did wonder if she spent some of her research time slinking around on her belly so that she could describe how Tigger sees his surroundings and the physical sensations a cat might feel in various situations! She takes the many facets of Tigger's personality and weaves them into a totally credible character. What's more he is a thoroughly modern male, not afraid to show his vulnerable side, but being a cat he manages to conquer every challenge that life throws at him; flying, quarantine, dogs, snakes, intruders and loud parties to name but a few. Tigger is also a real family man and assumes responsibility for the whole household of humans and animals especially 'his' children who he sees grow up to leave home and start their careers. By the time they settle down in England Tigger is into his teens and takes the onset of old age in his stride, still perfectly happy with his lot but content to roam a little less. This description of Tigger's advancing years is a fine example of the author's extraordinary empathy with her cat.

This book is full of deep insight and wisdom with plenty of touches of Tigger's unique brand of gentle humour. Very readable and well written, I was sorry to reach the end. I recommend Tigger's story to anyone who loves cats or just enjoys a good family tale.

by Barney

The author did an amazing job at writing out of the perspective of Tigger as the true story of his adventures across the globe get unveiled. His journey starts of in Western Australia before he has to follow his family on a long long journey to the USA!

But that is only the start of the journey! His family moves to a few more places across the journey and us readers get to experience it through the eyes of Tigger a smart ginger tomcat as he conquers challenges and grows wiser and older with each step.

Over-all verdict?

We loved the book! There are not many authors that are as empathic as Susanne and manage to have such a strong bond with their cat companion that they can produce a truly convincing view from their companions perspective. And this style of writing is exactly what enthralls us cat lovers / owners as we are able to relate to our own companions and their adventures, at times it feels like she must have been crawling along the floor with her companion to be able to really capture the cat point of view. You will not want to put the book down until you are done.
See more on: http://katzenworld.co.uk/2015/01/27/book-review-tigger-memoirs-of-a-cosmopolitan-cat/

by Marc @ Katzenworld.co.uk

I have just finished reading ‘Tigger’ and I want tell to tell you how much I enjoyed it. I hadn’t expected it to be such a warm, insightful, enjoyable read. I always enjoyed your early readings of Tigger’s doings at our weekly meetings at the Eltham writers co-op but the way you have developed them into such a lovely story of his life and your family is impressive, congratulations.I shall certainly pass the book on to my family and recommend it to my animal loving friends.

by Pru

If you are especially a cat lover this book will serve as a relaxing first person narrative told by Tigger the cat. Enter his world and gain a perspective on his point of view – the only right point of view there is you know. Tigger will sail through the vicissitudes of multiple moves with his family and always share his travel "adventures "quite candidly. In route to Maryland from Australia he shares "I feel quite lightheaded and nauseous… It finally occurred to me that I was flying! Finally we landed again with an extra big burp from the cat next-door "

Tigger will soon become a welcome pet with the family including three children. As an extension of Tiggers appreciation to them, from his hunt he would deliver luscious treats. "… A lizard from the patio, a bird from a nest or a rat from under the roof…was able to take my gifts inside to deliver them personally "

Though you may think of cats as relatively independent in nature, Suzanne Haywood's Tigger will demonstrate how he bonds with his new friend gray cat Piglet and later a rather battered kitten brought home named Tammy. Each of the new happenings every few pages will entertain and humor you.

Stressed out and need a relaxing book to help you wind down?! Tigger has it all and I know as a personal can't lover that this will not be a one time read. For its high creativity and engaging plot I give it a five star rating.

by Valerie Caraotta

If you are especially a cat lover this book will serve as a relaxing first person narrative told by Tigger the cat. Enter his world and gain a perspective on his point of view – the only right point of view there is you know. Tigger will sail through the vicissitudes of multiple moves with his family and always share his travel "adventures "quite candidly. In route to Maryland from Australia he shares "I feel quite lightheaded and nauseous… It finally occurred to me that I was flying! Finally we landed again with an extra big burp from the cat next-door "

Tigger will soon become a welcome pet with the family including three children. As an extension of Tiggers appreciation to them, from his hunt he would deliver luscious treats. "… A lizard from the patio, a bird from a nest or a rat from under the roof…was able to take my gifts inside to deliver them personally "

Though you may think of cats as relatively independent in nature, Suzanne Haywood's Tigger will demonstrate how he bonds with his new friend gray cat Piglet and later a rather battered kitten brought home named Tammy. Each of the new happenings every few pages will entertain and humor you.

Stressed out and need a relaxing book to help you wind down?! Tigger has it all and I know as a personal can't lover that this will not be a one time read. For its high creativity and engaging plot I give it a five star rating.

by Valerie Caraotta

This is a lovingly-written tale of a cat who starts life in Perth, Australia then moves to Maryland, USA and finally southern England.

Tigger's observation of the differences between these places and the local wildlife are highly amusing! The changes in scenery stop the story from getting stale, as the Cosmopolitan Cat travels the world!

I'm not often a fan of first-person animal stories, but it works here - largely, I think, because the book is so lovingly and well-written.

Five stars!

by Jem Vanstone

Susanne Haywood's account of her family life written from Tigger - the cat's - perspective is an enjoyable, unputdownable read. After a traumatic beginning Tigger comes to live with Susanne and her young family in Australia. A move takes them all to Maryland, USA and then back to Perth, Australia, before finally settling down in England. Tigger takes everything in his stride as he experiences being in quarantine (prison), flying, and getting to know new homes and surroundings. It is laugh out loud funny in many places, particlularly when the house sitter is presented with 'gifts' from Tigger and Tammy. But the descriptive prose is just exquisite and the way Susanne recounts their experiences, one can almost feel as if one has moved in with them.
Tigger takes pride in bringing up the three Haywood children, ensuring homework is done, sleepovers are supervised and coming to terms when one by one, the children leave home. I cannot praise this book highly enough. It is absolutely wonderful.

by P.Dewberry

Susanne Haywood gets into the mind of her cat Tigger convincingly. I enjoyed reading of his exploits on the three continents to which he and his family travel. I particularly liked the tale of his encounter with a mob of kangeroos! I admired his resilience to all the changes in his life and those of his human family. The author, Tigger's mum, writes sensitively and with humour on his behalf. He was clearly a much loved family member. I'm sure this book will appeal to all cat lovers and many more.

by Eve Hopkirk

A most lovely read - by a cat - dictated to Mum (author Susanne Haywood)!
I have found myself laughing out loud at the antics of Tigger - and have had as much pleasure reading through the reviews as I have reading the actual book. I agree with them all.
Perfect for children I would say, as well as adults.
My favourite bits? Tigger overcoming the bullying of Mishka the dog (smart move Tigger!). Tigger going to so much trouble to leave a variety of beautiful gifts on Mum's clean pillow on return from her holiday (she was obviously bowled over by the sound of her shrieks!).
A good book indeed - and to read on the go.
Do buy the book and read it for yourself. Yes, I agree with a fellow reviewer . . . another book please Susanne!

by Lizzy B.

Really enjoyed this light hearted book. As a cat lover and owner myself it made for well known experiences of the feline race! I am sure others will enjoy this lovingly written book.

by Jackie Buckler

This was a very enjoyable read, not least because this cat and its family moved to live on different continents several times, and so gave a unique insight into quite different locations............their wildlife as perceived by a cat, the vegetation around and the general lifestyle encountered by the family.

by David Smith

It is always a wonderful thing can get into the mind of its humans and truly gain an understanding of how, and why, they are. My humans can be especially difficult sometimes, and reading how Tigger has learned to handle and train his humans was wonderful!

Tigger has an uncanny ability to 'see' what is going on in the world around him, from the hairy creatures that live in the trees nearby, through all of his new furry house mates (and training them was a work all on its own!), to the reasons our humans feel the need to move around from place to place. All of his humans are fun and interesting, even when they don't appreciate all of the gifts that Tigger brings to them, or when he makes an especial effort to decorate an area of the den for them.

Tigger's real life human, Susanne Haywood, seems to be an amazing person as well, in her ability to capture everything that Tigger had to say in his story. Very entertaining and well written!

by Bertie J. F.

Any person that has ever owned, or even just spent any length of time with a cat, will thoroughly relate to and enjoy reading this book! Author Susanne Haywood offers readers a fantastic story with Tigger: Memoirs of a Cosmopolitan Cat. Possibly the best aspect of this novel, is that Susanne shares the story of Tigger’s interesting life from his feline perspective, and she does so in a way that does not become overly childishly cute or cartoonish. The writing skill this author possesses is exceptional, and is most evident in the natural and comfortable way she engages readers and draws us along with Tigger and his family on their travels and at home. This book offers humor along with an interesting insight into the inner workings of the intricate feline mind, which any cat owner must surely appreciate. This book is a must read!

by Catherine Grainger

This is a very different sort of story, supposedly told from the cat’s point of view. At first I felt a bit annoyed, feeling it was going nowhere, but still, as a cat lover, I became involved in the way Suzanne gets into what she tells us the cat is thinking. It sounds very logical and many of the things Tigger does, such as bringing presents of mice and birds to his owner, rings true to me because my own cats have done that to me. Tiggers view of moving, riding in a plane, dealing with the cat hotel and later, several new homes as his family moves around to different countries rang true for me also. I also liked the way he dealt with neighbor dogs, cats and various other animals in the various places they live. Interesting and different.

by bookworm777

Wonderful story of Tigger's worldly adventures! His typical cat attitude is perfectly portrayed and will have you smiling as you read about his mischevious endeavors. Anyone who loves animals or traveling will enjoy this book!

by Sara D.

I enjoyed every moment of this work and have recommended it to many friends as a must read. A very different way of telling the tale of a family's life story and their many moves through the eyes of a remarkable cat, Tigger. A book for any cat lover or anyone that wants a well written and enjoyable read. I now look at my cat through different eyes.

by Olly's Mum

I have just finished reading this book & I have to say that it's an absolute credit to Tigger & you as his writer(Susanne Haywood) - how wonderful that such a colourful little character should have chosen you for his family. After all, animals choose their families whether we know it or not don't they!
I had the privilege to meet Tigger & catch up with him on all three continents in which he presided over the Haywood family. No mean feat!
It was wonderful to read his life's journey with all of you, sharing his thoughts & outlook on life as well as looking out for any possible pitfalls to protect you from. I remembered a few events & laughed often! It was sad to reach his last chapter as I didn't want his story to end-(there had to be more surely!)-I had become so immersed in it! And then despite having read the epilogue beforehand, reading it again brought the same swell of emotion with a few tears for good measure!
Tigger will live on ......so well done - an amazing accomplishment.

by Helen Scott

Susanne Haywood gets into the mind of her cat Tigger convincingly. I enjoyed reading of his exploits on the three continents to which he and his family travel. I particularly liked the tale of his encounter with a mob of kangeroos! I admired his resilience to all the changes in his life and those of his human family. The author, Tigger's mum, writes sensitively and with humour on his behalf. He was clearly a much loved family member. I'm sure this book will appeal to all cat lovers and many more.

by Eve Hopkirk

A most lovely read - by a cat - dictated to Mum (author Susanne Haywood)!
I have found myself laughing out loud at the antics of Tigger - and have had as much pleasure reading through the reviews as I have reading the actual book. I agree with them all.
Perfect for children I would say, as well as adults.
My favourite bits? Tigger overcoming the bullying of Mishka the dog (smart move Tigger!). Tigger going to so much trouble to leave a variety of beautiful gifts on Mum's clean pillow on return from her holiday (she was obviously bowled over by the sound of her shrieks!).
A good book indeed - and to read on the go.
Do buy the book and read it for yourself. Yes, I agree with a fellow reviewer . . . another book please Susanne!

by Lizzy B

This is a book written for cat lovers about the life and times of a lovable cat. Using the first-person narrative, Tigger carries the reader through his many and varied encounters, as perceived and experienced from his feline perspective. The light conversational writing tone combined with graceful picturesque word usage makes this the perfect read to unwind with at the end of the day. This well-traveled, forthright, adventuring cat might also be a hit with young readers, encouraging young people to log off, crack open a book, and simply read for the love of reading.

Though foreign born, the author wields the English language with true expertise. Unlike so many other self-published ebooks, this book does not bog its audience down with endless grammar and punctuation errors, crying out for further editing. My fingers were happily turning pages, versus itching to reach for the red pen...

One unique aspect of this book is the reader can actually see pictures of Tigger on Twitter, as well as say hello to the author. I found this added an extra dose of realism, accessibility, and depth to what is already a warm and engaging biographical story.

Overall, this is an upbeat, pleasant, relaxing tale written with talent by an animal lover, for animal lovers.

by Warrior Pryncess

As i grew up,I was always surrounded by cats back at my grandma's house. They were absolutely great members of the family.All of them girls,so naturally,calmer and maybe a bit shy.We never had a male cat,so entering the real male cat's world was somewhat breathtaking and trully adventurous.The story of Tigger is like a 5D movie where you can look through his eyes and taste the real feeling how it is to be a cat.Not only just a cat,but the first pet and the protector of his family of humans,where the mum had everything under control,three kids growing up together and hardworking dad who was taking care of them.But the real protector was him-Tigger.Maybe it got harder when the family decided to move from one place to another and brought more pets home,but the fact was,he was and always would be the king of the castle where no mouse or a rabbit would be allowed.And of course,let's not forget about those weird animals with bushy tails.Not even those.
I think this book is a wonderful escape to a different world from our ordinary lifes as well as for the big one and the small ones.

by Katka

Utterly delightful! Really enjoyed it from the moment I picked it up , the writing is just spot on. You are just drawn into Tigger's world and it is enchanting. I will keep this and read it again. Certainly one of the best cat books I have read. Highly recommend it

Susanne Haywood

Susanne Haywood was born in Austria, but has spent most of her life on the move around Britain, Australia and the United States. After a career in teaching and higher education, she has now settled back in England with her husband and an ever-changing number of children and animals. When she is not writing, she devotes her time to her garden and to voluntary work in the community.

Susanne Haywood

Tigger, out hunting in Maryland

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